Review: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex

     The Call of Duty series has received a ton of flak lately with people accusing Infinity Ward of being nothing more than a money-grabbing corporation that flips the bird at its fans when they ask for new and inspired content. But things weren't always that way. Once upon a time, Call of Duty could do no wrong. The over-the-top action and addicting shooting made the series stand out from the competition. What other series put you on the front lines of Stalingrad, Point du Hoc, Omaha Beach, and Bastogne? Medal of Honor? That series seemed hard pressed to give a decent shooter. Call of Duty offered a cinematic experience that rivaled some of the most famous films such as Saving Private Ryan. Call of Duty was a World War II powerhouse that seemed unstoppable. Until Treyarch got hold of the license and released Call of Duty 3. The game was fine, but not overly stunning like its predecessors. So Infinity Ward took another stab at the franchise. But what they did took everyone by surprise. Rather than release yet another WWII game, they decided to turn the series on its head and release a game set in the present day, with modern weapons, vehicles, tactics, gadgets, and locations. It was Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The game released in 2007 for PC, PS3, and Xbox360 and was an instant hit. However, Wii owners were forced to sit back and watch in envy as their friends got to enjoy the action. It didn't seem fair that everyone else should get to have all the fun, so in 2009 Infinity Ward released Modern Warfare Reflex.
     At first, nearly everyone, myself included, was skeptical of this port. Wii ports of Xbox and PS3 games were notorious for being poor in quality and often were completely different games. Fortunately, Reflex was not a half-thought-out port, but rather a realization of what the games could be on Nintendo's famous waggle machine. The game is a 100% faithful port of the other versions. You get the same game, from the mission layout to the dialogue to the story. It stays consistent with its big brothers. This came as a huge relief to someone who was sick and tired of seeing his favorite console relegated to being a receptacle for "Wii-makes" and shovelware. Upon playing this game, I was blown away by how much fun I was having with this version of one of my favorite game. However, it seems not everyone would share my opinion. Critics called the game a "cash-in" and refused to say anything positive about it.
     Well here I am, yet again defending a game that no one else seems to appreciate. I would make this a case file if it was a little more notorious, but many people don't even know the Wii Call of Duty games even exist. So here's a simple review. Let's start it just like any other review. Graphics. Well, it is a Wii game so you know it won't look as good as its Xbox and Playstation counterparts. That said, the game looks very good on the Wii. Animations are smooth, characters are believable, textures are passable, and the lighting is very good. Smoke, dirt, and debris all fly like you'd expect them too, and the game even keeps the mechanic that allows you to shoot through thin cover. The graphics aren't perfect. There are several moments that left much to be desired. The blackhawk charge in Charlie Don't Surf, the tank patrol in All Ghillied Up, and yes, even the infamous nuke all look very stale compared to the other versions. These famous scenes lose much of their oomph without flashy visuals. However, there are just as many moments that gain much more due to the controls.
     Controls are the next point. Love it or hate it, the Wii remote lends itself extremely well to the first-person shooter genre. Controlling your movement may not feel as intuitive at first, but the game offers a ton of customization options to make the game feel like a technical masterpiece. Tweaking the controls to your style of play is a huge boost to the game's quality, and helps out a ton in multiplayer, but more on that later. When you use your iron sights, the aim automatically snaps to the nearest enemy, which makes taking accurate shots with the Wii remote easier and more satisfying. It gives the illusion of killer reflexes and makes you feel like even more of a boss than the game would usually make you feel. However, the controls and visuals don't always align. The framerate, while generally solid, does tend to drop when things get hectic. This can lead to some difficulty with aiming, especially at moving targets. The controls make the harder modes all the more difficult. But the difficulty in CoD: MWR seems artificial. The enemies do more damage and are harder to kill. You compensate for this by making better and quicker shots and movements. It makes beating a game on a high setting that much more satisfying.
     The gameplay comes next. The game plays like any other Call of Duty game. Go here, shoot that, go there, blow up that, make this tough shot, get to the extraction point. Simple but effective, just as always. However, there are some very annoying issues. My biggest gripe is the grenades. Enemies in this game have the uncanny ability to throw grenades right between your feet regardless of where they are in relation to you. And they will throw grenades. Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of grenades. There were so many times I would find a good spot to fight from only to have a grenade land in front of me. I would back off and wait for it to cook off, then go back only to have two more land in front of me. You can throw them back, but you're better off running for cover. Also the game sees fit to remind you that the grenade indicator indicates a grenade every time one kills you.Whether you stood on top of it, or already had taken damage and the edge of the blast finished you off, the game assumes you were too stupid to notice the grenade and arrow on your screen. It's insulting. Of course, this applies to all Call of Duty games, not just the Wii port. I had this same exact issue with CoD 2 for the PC. Another problem is the abundance of RPG wielding soldiers. I got pretty sick of taking damage from yet another RPG. It gets particularly irksome when you are forced to defend something from waves of them. I had to restart The Bog at least 20 times my first go around. I found it nearly impossible to stay alive and defend War Pig at the same time. However, the gameplay is still really fun. You get to use some of the coolest military hardware on the planet, my personal favorite being the M4 Sopmod. Your missions will take you to several areas and even a separate time period where you'll get to play as Captain Price in his earlier years. You'll shoot hordes of enemies in open combat, sneak past large groups, and even shoot down helicopters with sniper rifles. The whole thing is very epic and filled with more adrenaline than you can shake a stick at.
     Next is the sound. The music is top notch and sets the mood perfectly for what you're doing. The voice acting is believable, though occasionally cheesy. The guns all sound real and the ambient sounds are all immersive. The enemies chatter back and forth in a realistic manner, and your squadmates will talk to each other with context sensitive chatter, just like in CoD 2. Another thing from CoD 2 is recycled enemy voices. Every now and then I did hear a bit of dialogue or a scream torn straight from the mouth of a Nazi, but unless you look for it, you probably won't notice. Or care.
     Finally is the multiplayer. It's the same multiplayer as the others in terms of online modes. However, the local multiplayer is very lame. Two players can cooperatively complete missions, but not as different people. Instead, they share control of the protagonist. One player controls the movement, the other controls the shooting. It's a poor setup that leads to pain, frustration, death, and the occasional burst of hilarity. The fact that this mode even exists is in itself hilarious. It's a joke, really. Luckily, the online mode is just as solid as the other versions, only this time, there are fewer players and more skill. Killing players in online matches with motion controls is ridiculously satisfying. That perfect headshot feels so much better when you actually did the aiming with your hands and not your thumbs. The upgrade, unlock, and perk systems are all intact and are just as excellent as you'll remember.
     Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex is not perfect, but definitely does not deserve the criticism it receives. Just because a game gets ported to the Wii does not mean it is bad. Just look at Dead Space: Extraction. This game shows off how a first-person shooter on the Wii feels when it is done well, similarly to how Goldeneye showed off. Everything about the other games that you loved is here, minus flashy graphics and local multiplayer. It takes the already excellent Modern Warfare, turns down the settings for lighter hardware, then melds it with well done and fully customizable motion controls that make the game an absolute gas to play. If you have a Wii, you owe it to yourself to get this game. And while you're at it, look for the other Wii CoD games. Once you've played a shooter with Wii controls, you won't want to go back to dual analog sticks. This game makes the Xbox controller feel archaic by comparison, and a game that can do that is doing something right.